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Written by: E. George
Published December 6, 2024 @ 12:00 PM ET
Warning: The following story contains information regarding alleged physical violence against children.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – In November, an Atlanta mother received a life sentence in prison without parole plus an additional 35 years for placing her sons in an oven on October 12, 2017, turning it on, and trapping them inside for nearly two days, resulting in their deaths.
The autopsy report revealed that one-year-old Ja’Karter Penn and two-year-old Ke’Yaunte Penn passed away from “prolonged exposure to heat” and specified that their injuries “require[d] an extensive amount of time to get to this degree.”
Reports also described the oven as tipped over. The woman’s three-year-old son, Jameel Penn Jr., was discovered in the apartment unscathed and placed in the care of his father after his brothers’ deaths.
According to Fulton County Superior Court records, Lamora Williams, who was 24 at the time of the murders and has remained detained at the Fulton County Jail since then, was found guilty of aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, first-degree and second-degree child cruelty, felony murder, murder, and providing false statements.
Williams contacted the Atlanta Police Department on October 13, 2017, and reported the deaths of her sons. She told them she had left them with a caregiver and returned home to find them deceased.
An investigation uncovered that Williams had lied and not left them with a babysitter. She had put them inside the kitchen appliance at approximately midnight on October 12 until 11:00 PM on October 13.
After placing the boys in the oven, she called their father, Jameel Penn, via video call, and he compared the encounter to a horror film.
Penn stated, “It was like a real horror movie. It was Friday the 13th. When I saw my kid, how I saw my kid, that’s when I knew what was going on.” Horrified, he called the police.
Williams’ mother had reported mental health issues regarding her daughter’s actions. Court proceedings were delayed multiple times for various reasons, including mental health evaluations and the COVID-19 pandemic.